Change

I was going to talk about change in my Sunday homily in Basalt.  I was all for telling people that we, meaning them, must be open to changes in the church and society that affect our church.  We cannot be judgmental of people.  Learn acceptance, tolerance and openness.  And so on.  I get to the Basalt. Colorado church.  I had not been there since last summer.  I walked up to the altar before mass to check something.  I was startled by the changes.  The pulpit had been moved to the other side of the altar.  My chair had been moved.  The prayer book I use on the altar had been moved.  An outrage!  Who did all these changes?  Things were fine as they had been last year.  Turns out the laity had changed things around.  Catholic laity have no power.  This must be a Protestant church now.  Suddenly, I realized that I was all for change as long as it was in someone else's life.  Don't change mine.  Supreme Court decisions are fine.  They don't affect my little world.  Grace came and revealed me to be a hypocrite.  I changed my homily.  People loved it.  They like when the priest 'fesses up about his own mess.  Seems they can relate to my trudging the long road to perfection.  I will settle for sanity today.